Deep-sea-sounding apparatus



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS JOUAN, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

DEEP-SEA-SOUNDING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 22,877, dated February 8, 1859'.

T o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS JoUAN, of San Francisco, in the State ofCalifornia, have invented an Improvement in Automatical Apparatus forDeep-Sea Soundings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a fulland exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings and to the letters and marks thereon.

Of the drawings forming part of this specification Figure A represents avertical section through the instrument: Fig. B a full sized upper endview of a six foot instrument: Fig. C a full sized lower end View of asix foot instrument: Fig. D a full sized sectional view of thecompartment for locating the sediment from the bottom.

Numbers l, 2, 3, 4: represent as herein described.

It makes two circular conical parts united at their base.

The main body ofthis apparatus is hollow of iron; it could be made ofsteel or of other metals, and such, being, for instance, six feet inlength, ten inches in diameter in the center and otherwise similar informs, as shown by the drawings, would be of a convenient size forsounding in all depths. It should be constructed of three longitudinalequal parts, sections, about half an inch in thickness at the center, inthe central piece of section, and thence diminishing to about a quarterof an inch at the extremities, and made so, as to join and formhomogeneity after being brazed together, for the purpose of increasingtheir power of resistance to an outside pressure; -at the point of unionof the several parts or sections, I make a ridge or thickening forstrengthening lthe whole. It should be covered with an envelop of purenative gut-ta-percha or caoutchouc of about half an inch in thickness,for keeping the water from filtering in and likewise for increasing thebuoyancy of the instrument.`

After the instrument is made, every part of it, is firmly adherenttogether. It can bel exteriorly thickly coppered or bronzed and theinside of its tube likewise, by the process of galvanoplastic, butprovided the instrument is not of cast iron.

It can be made of solid wood, for instance,d

above the diameter required for the instrument, so that the reductioncan be brought to a convenient diameter following the natural fibers andcircular growth of the tree. Having thus acquired the desireddimensions, the block of wood must be plunged in a cylinder ofsuiiicient resistance and full of oil, and there to receive a pressureequal to that of about five hundred atmospheres, by means of a hydraulicpress, in which oil is used instead of water, to the effect of fillingwith that substance, the pores of the wood. The block thus preparedshould be enveloped with vulcanized gutta percha or caoutchouc of athickness of about one eighth of an inch for an instrument of six feet.

At the upper end of the instrument is a ring for attaching means forloweringthe apparatus to the edge of the water in the act of sounding orto connect with a line. At about one third of the whole length, from thelower end are metallic rigid rings, for the purpose of suspending theballast.

On a circular line corresponding with the upper part of the concavity ofD are small holes to let out the water when the sediment enters thetube. Near the bottom part of D are elastic metallic blades, for thepurpose of detaining by their elasticity the sediment when it enters thetube.

In the center of the instrument, made either of iron, wood or othermaterial, is a metallic conical tube, passing longitudinally from oneend to the other, with a division in its center, and with it are firmlyconnected (l and covers, cach one composed of a. metallic cap, a plug ofmetal or other materials and a circular plate or disk of caoutchouc,differing one from the other, only in regard to the inclination of theplug and in the quality of the caoutchouc, that of (l.) being of nativeunmixed and (2) of vulcanized or of metal; one of the plates having tofloat and the other to sink, a metallic block (3) which I denominatepermanent ballast, with a tubular conical aperture in its center; acompartment D with metallic elastic blades.

D and 3 are made separate, but must be adapted to the part of the tube,where it corresponds, so that after being placed and brazed, they willstrongly adhere with the main tube.

To an instrument six feet in length, with -other dimensions as hereindescribed and as a standard scale for all sizes; the tube at thesmallest extremity (that intended to stand up when the instrument isimmerged) should be about three quarters of an inch in diameter, at theother extremity about three inches.

The cover (l) should be made of a form convexe-concave, with a circularhole cut conically in its center; in thickness about half an inch and soas to lit and stand on the head of the tube, where it is to be screwedand iirmly connected.

The cover (2) connecting with the neck inside of D is in form similar tothe other, though not as heavy in metal and of less area.

The plugs are of lead, they could be made of other substance, they areof conical form, combining with that of the holes, but their lengths andinclinations of their sides, should be according to the resistance,which they are intended to make.

The circular plate or disk of native caoutchouc in connection with (l)should be in diameter about five eighths of an inch and three eighths ofan inch iny thickness. The plate in connection with (2) of vulcanizedcaoutchouc or of metal should be smaller.

iVhen sounding with the instrument left to its own action, without theuse of a line, ballast (which I name detachable ballast) should be addedand that by means of hanging weights, as shown by the drawings, and thatballast should be of a weight two pounds (net) over that which would benecessary to maintain the instrument completely immerged, though notsinking: for instance, an instrument six feet in length, otherwise asherein described, displaces about thirteen gallons of salt water, orabout one hundred and thirty pounds weight. Of that weight I allow:

allowing two pounds over, to balance the displacement of the detachableballast. Therefore an apparatus las here described and weighing 134 lbs.would be ready for sounding. Its permanent weight would be 120 lbs. andwith that weight, about one eighth of its length would float.

It is indispensable that the instrument when immerged stands in aperpendicular position and for that object is the permanent ballast (3)inside of the tube, and the weight of that permanent ballast added tothat of the other parts of the instrument must be suiiicient to bring itto its permanent bearings or seven eighths immerged and likef wise tostand in a perpendicular position.

Should the displacement of the instrument produce more than thirteengallons or otherwise 130 lbs., the surplus weight should be applied inincreasing the thickness of the longitudinal sections.

The detachable ballast consists of metallic blocks, in connection withmetallic rods, which at one extremity, are bent in the form of a hook.

The rods must be stiff enough not to bend under a certain verticalpressure and their lengths must be such that, when hooked to the rings,the lower parts of the blocks, will reach about two inches, below thelower extremity of the tube.

The form of the ballast can `vary from that shown by the drawings, butthe form if differing, yet must be such that when striking bottom andthe ballast has s'eparated from the main body, that ballast will notstand in an upright position, to avoid the risk of being hooked again,when the instrument will be rising.

The instrument can be made of different forms and dimensions; should thedimensions be much increased, the detachable ballast might be composedof common stones, for instance, inclosed in boxes, made to connect withthe rings, by means of iron rods, but the bottoms of these boxes shouldbe in accordance with what is said in regard to metallic ballast.

lVhen using a line, a supplementary ballast, equal to two-thirds of theweight of the water displaced by the rope should be added.

A line of a small diameter, such as the one used in Lieut. Brookessounding apparatus, would be sufficient, its only use being to guide theinstrument toward the vessel and help in measuring the depths.

The rope should always be moistened before using it for sounding, andshould be of a greater length than the supposed depth of soundings.

Modus operandi: The valve, plates or disks are put in their tubes,V bothcaps (covers) are screwed tight; the plugs are set iirm, minding thatthe plug which goes in (2) be that of lesser inclination. In soundingwithout a line, the apparatus is lowered down to the surface of thewater and then let go. It sinks with regularity, increasingprogressively its velocity. Arriving at a certain depth, the plug (2) isforced into the tube, which instantly fills with water and the valve,plate or disk of vulcanized caoutchouc or ofl metal, closes the openingand that water is isolated. At a greater depth, the plug (l) is forcedinto the tube and this likewise fills with water, and then the plate ofnat-ive caoutchouc floats and closes the opening and that water islikewise isolated. Immediately the instrument ascends, though with amoderate Velocity, its velocity increases progressively estimate that anapparatus six feet in length and as described, will travel that distanceand back (six miles) in the interval of about six minutes.

In great depth, the instrument when abandoned to its own action, willemerge to l the surface at a place distant from that till the instrumenthas sprung out of water. The entire time of immersion is then known, andit is the departure for calculating the depths.

Tables will be prepared for calculating the depths by the interval ofimmersion, with an apparatus of delinite form, but such tables, forinstance, prepared for an instrument at herein described with two poundsover weight, making altogether thirteen po-unds of detachable ballast,would not be applicable to an instrument of a globular or any otherform, neither to one with more than two pounds over weight, nor to onewith more or less ballast than thirteen pounds.

The velocity of immersion being governed by the quantity, of weight overand the velocity of ascension by that of the weight of ballastdischarged and likewise in either cases, the form of the instrument willhave an influence.

An instrument of six feet and similar in form to the within description,will bring up, in the upper tube, about eight ounces of water, in thelower tube, about six ounces and about one pound of sediment from thebottom and it might be disposed to bring a greater quantity of sediment.

Supposing the depth to be three miles, I

where it was immerged, but the distance would not be such that theinstrument would not be visible with naked eye from the vessel,specially as the instrument will travel with great velocity and surgingwith an additional power from its transition of elements, it will springat a considerable height and moreover; deep soundings are only attemptedin good weather and when the ship can be hove to, without much drifting.This mode of sounding will guide to a closer approximation of thedepths, than any one known, yet the result will only be a nearerapproximation, the most accurate mode of finding the depths, would be byascertaining the highest pressure, received by the inst-rument duringthe operation.

The upper cover (l) with a long and graduated conical plug, might beemployed for testing the highest pressure, received during theimmersion, as shown in red ink in the drawings.

I do not claim, the external form of the instrument, neither the mode ofcalculating the depth by the time of submersion, neither that, as setforth, for testing the highest pressure.

I claim as my invention and desire to se cure by Letters Patent- Thecombination and arrangement of the several essential devices described,operating in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

. A. JOUAN.

Witnesses:

E. B. Gnoreo, F. S. MYER.

